How has your life changed since you adopted this lifestyle and started competing?I would say the biggest change for me since I adopted this lifestyle is that I have SO much more confidence! I used to be extremely shy and insecure, as many women are, and I still get caught up with insecurities and self-doubt at times, but this lifestyle and sport has shown me that I am stronger than I knew, and has taught me to believe in myself and have faith in my abilities. Having the opportunity to motivate others is such a blessing because I feel that I live my life with PURPOSE. I know that win or lose, what I am doing makes a difference, and that is a really rewarding feeling.

My social life has certainly changed a lot as well. You don’t realize how much social events are centered around eating and drinking until you are on a specific diet! I grew apart from some people when I adopted this lifestyle, but over time the people in my life who really love me and care about me saw that this makes me happy, and makes me a better person, so I have been blessed with a lot of support from my family and friends. What have you found to be the best way to balance family, friends, career, this lifestyle, etc…

Finding balance in my life is something I have to constantly work at. I get SUPER focused during contest prep, which is necessary, but it’s also important to make sure you don’t get too caught up in it and let other areas of your life suffer.

One thing that helps me when my life gets especially hectic is scheduling every hour of my day. I use a paper day planner (I’m old school, what can I say) and map out my week scheduling clients, appointments, my cardio and strength workouts, and even things like checking emails, posting on social media, etc. I also make sure I schedule free time for myself to be completely “off”... And at least once a week (usually Sunday evening) I set aside time when I shut off my phone, close my laptop and disconnect. I’ve found this is SO important for my mental well being and it recharges me for the week ahead!

If you could change places with one competitor for the day who would it be and why?I would say IFBB Bikini Pro Jaime Baird. I’ve admired Jaime for years for her ability to balance her amazing career with her personal life and competing. She always is upbeat and positive and seems like she’s really got it all figured out! I’d love to spend a day in her shoes and learn from her.

Name two of the most inspirational people in your life and tell why they inspire you.That’s easy- my Mom and my Dad. I’m so blessed to have the relationship I have with my parents. I talk to them about everything- they are my best friends! I admire my Mom for being so strong yet always compassionate. She is extremely selfless, caring and giving... the most kind, generous person I know. She’s also my biggest fan and is so supportive- I’ve competed 13 times and she has been at just about every single show!

I admire my Dad for his drive and work ethic. My Mom often tells me “you are your father” and I always take that a such a nice compliment! My Dad worked hard to earn his success and showed me the importance of hard work, dedication and also taught me never to burn bridges.

I would not be the person I am today without the amazing love and support of my parents. They are in my mind with every move I make- whether it’s a photo shoot, or training for a competition- I always have it in my head that I want to make my parents proud!

Tell one recipe or supplement you can’t live without.I can’t live without my MET-Rx BCAA 5000 Powder. I mix it into my water for all my cardio and weight training sessions to help fuel my workouts and to aid in recovery. When I’m in contest prep and training like an athlete for a few hours each day my supplementation becomes SO important so that I feel my best and can push through my workouts.

Tell about a typical training day for you. What exercises, how many sets/reps…etc…When I’m getting ready for a competition I perform two separate cardio sessions and one weight lifting session every day, Monday-Friday. I perform one cardio session on Saturday and rest completely every Sunday. This works really well for me because mentally I try to challenge myself more and more each week, knowing that if I keep pushing through and make it to Saturday I will feel SO accomplished and then can enjoy my rest day on Sunday feeling like I really EARNED it. Then without fail, I’m ALWAYS pumped to get back to my workouts Monday morning!

I train all my muscle groups at least once a week, but I train lower body 2 or 3 days each week. My legs and glutes are always my biggest challenge to get in shape, so I have to really hit my lower body workouts hard and challenge those muscles in various ways. I split up my lower body training, and do one day with more focus on my quads and another day with the focus on hamstrings and glutes. My workouts are different every week. I feel that since I’ve been training for competitions for over 3 years now it is ESSENTIAL for me to keep my body guessing and keep my workouts constantly varied to continue seeing progress. I change the rep range and sometimes train very heavy with 4 sets of 8-10 reps and a little more rest between exercises, then other days I will do a higher volume session with 4 or 5 sets of 15-20 or even 25 reps, using a lot of supersets and mini circuits to keep my heart rate up and get my muscles burning. Also I incorporate a lot of plyometrics into my lower body training- jump squats, switch lunges, etc. My body always responds fast to this type of training.

In closing, Who would you like to give a shout out to?I want to start by thanking Rx Girl and Gail Auerbach for this opportunity to share a little bit of my life as a competitor. A HUGE thank you to my sponsor MET-Rx for believing in me and supporting me... I feel so fortunate to be a part of such an amazing team! Thank you to Shannon Dey and Rob Rosetti and all the amazing women who are a part of Team Bombshell- they have transformed my body and my attitude towards fitness in such a positive way, and I will be forever grateful to them for that. Thank you to Steve and Bev and everyone at Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym- I couldn’t ask for a more supportive, motivating environment to train in! Thank you to the incredible network of people who support me and cheer me on through my various social media outlets... You guys motivate me and keep me going.

Finally I want to say thank you to my family and friends for their unconditional love and support through all the up’s and down’s of this journey... I could not do this without you! All my love.